Wolf of Númenor

Chapter 17: A Hasty meeting

Jon felt the softness of the bed he was on and the presence of someone lying next to him. Opening his eyes, he saw her face, relaxed, and it looked angelic to him. Moving a loose strand of her hair away from her face, she finally opened her eyes and looked at him, smiling.

"Jon," Margaery said softly.

"Good morning, my love," Jon said as he planted a kiss on her head.

"Did we oversleep?" She asked, still in the process of waking up.

"No," Jon said with a small smile. "Dawn just broke a short while ago."

Margaery moved closer, snuggling up next to him, putting her arms around Jon's waist. "Good, it means we have some more time."

Jon put his arm around her and planted a gentle kiss on her head. She was here, next to him, in his room in Highgarden. As Jon continued to look at the sleeping beauty next to him, a pleased look on her face, he wondered if everything that occurred was just a bad dream, if there was no war if his father was still alive, Sansa and Arya safe. Then all started to shake, and he felt someone arm on his shoulder, calling to him.

First Margaery vanished and soon the room. Feeling the shaking intensify, his eyes opened again, sunlight hitting his eyes. In front of him knelt Robar calling his name.

"Jon, Jon wake up," Robar said.

"I'm awake, I'm awake, what is it?" Jon asked frantically.

"Riders approaching," Robar answered.

"What riders?"

"Tarlys," Loras answered as he came closer and walked towards them, "At least twenty."

"It looks like your father did not appreciate you leaving in the night," Robar said to Loras.

"More like my grandmother, but that doesn't change a thing; we can't let them find us," Loras said.

"We are too close to the road; how far off are they?" Jon asked.

"About thirty lengths," Loras replied. That was not much of a distance, so they did not have time to ride away or move further in the forest; their best course of action would be to lay still and wait for the riders to pass.

"Loras make the horses lay down behind those bushes over there as low as they can, Robar, you do the same," Jon said. "We can't run, so we will just have to let them pass us." Both knights nodded and proceeded to do as asked, both managing to let their horses lay low, Jon doing the same with Winter and the poacher's horse.

After that, Jon approached Grenn, the man still tied up and gagged. "Listen to me carefully, I need you to stay silent, or we are all going to be in trouble, understood?" Grenn just nodded, and Jon proceeded to move to Ghost and Lady, who were lying next to each other.

Soon the thunder of horses galloping was heard, and it was getting louder by the moment; a dead silence filled the camp as the group waited for the Tarlys to arrive. The first rider passed and then the second and the third, with the rest following close behind. Jon counted eighteen men pass; he waited for a moment before he lifted his head up. Just as he thought the danger had passed, two more riders came, Jon, lowering himself down immediately.

Jon looked through the tall brush as the soldiers were about to pass them until Bluebell neighed and the two riders stopped. Jon looked at Loras, who had a scared look on his face. Turning his gaze to the road, Jon saw that the riders were looking in their direction.

"Did you hear that?" the first rider said.

"Yes," the second answered. The first one moved slightly towards them, gazing from side to side; Jon held his breath as the soldier did so. Moment after moment passed, and it felt like they were about to be caught, then the second soldier's voice was heard again. "Probably just some forest critter; come on, Markus, we have to catch up with the others."